WWE has made several unprecedented additions and changes over the years. The massive sports entertainment and pro wrestling machine runs on this innovation, along with key longterm practices, many introduced by co-founder Vince McMahon. A certain change could be in the store for WWE’s flagship show as the RAW-Netflix alliance continues.
World Wrestling Entertainment brought its flagship show to Netflix in January, and this has made for another successful chapter in the company’s Endeavor-TKO era. After years of debate, WWE experimented with a shift back to the two-hour format for RAW last year, but confirmed plans to go back to the three-hour show for the Netflix premiere, beginning at 8pm ET each week, but usually wrapping up some time around 10:30pm.
Netflix recently revealed via its official schedule that three RAW episodes will have a start time of 7pm ET: September 15 in Springfield, MA for the Wrestlepalooza go-home episode; the post-PLE episode on September 22 in Evansville, IN; and September 29 in Raleigh, NC for the final red brand show before the Crown Jewel go-home episode. It was reported via WrestleVotes that WWE and Netflix are hoping to use these early start times to get a better idea of how RAW performs against the NFL’s Monday Night Football as they experiment with changes to the product.
The National Football League’s MNF has been a thorn in WWE’s side for years with the drop in ratings and viewership expected like clockwork. The 2025 regular season began tonight on ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, and ESPN Deportes, and will continue next week with a big double-header when WWE first tries out the 7pm ET start time. Unfortunately for WWE and Netflix, the double-header games will air via ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ABC at 7pm, plus ESPN and ESPN Deportes at 10pm that week. Week 3 of the regular season will feature just one game on all four affiliated networks at 8:15pm, while another double-header is booked for Week 4 on September 29, with start times of 7:15pm on ESPN and 8:15pm on ABC. This is the third and final week of the WWE-Netflix strategic experiment, for now.
WWE and Netflix already have some recent start time data due to an increase in international episodes. RAW in the UK aired at 3pm ET on August 25, and last week’s episode from Paris began at 2pm ET. The first-ever RAW from Australia will be held on October 13 with a rare start time of 8am ET.
WWE And Netflix Considering Longterm RAW Changes
WWE and Netflix have had this experiment planned for some time as the hit RAW takes from the NFL is anticipated every year. In addition to the numbers, officials are also looking to gauge fan feedback on the earlier start time. There was talk that the RAW main event should be wrapping up before “crunch time” on the NFL broadcast, but the Monday Night Football start times do vary. The hope is that they will prevent fans from being forced to choose between RAW or the NFL during key moments of the game.
Monday Night RAW arrived on the cable TV scene in January 1993, airing from 9-10pm ET until February 1997 when the show went to two hours to compete with WCW Monday Nitro, keeping the 9pm start time and going off-air at 11pm. WWE made the big jump to three hours in July 2012, airing from 8-11pm ET each week in a move that caused many fans to dread WWE’s flagship show. The company has had some flexibility with its TV partners over the years, but Wrestling Observer Radio notes that Netflix provides much more scheduling freedom, and now they are using that to gauge viewership patterns to help decide on significant longterm changes.
Multiple sources have now confirmed that the start time changes are part of a strategic experiment by WWE and Netflix. Dave Meltzer noted on Observer Radio how under the Netflix deal, WWE does not have to deal with the same firm restrictions that they would when airing on linear TV. A key matter to watch over the next several months is how these experiments help officials decide on longterm changes for the RAW product as the first full year of the Netflix chapter ends.